Guide to weight loss surgery

Bariatric surgery is very popular right now for people who are considered morbidly obese and have tried other weight loss programs and diets but have not been able to lose the weight needed to get them closer to a healthy weight. This type of surgery is not to be taken lightly as there are risks when any surgery is performed. There are also complications and side effects of surgery that need to be understood before someone really looks to this type of procedure in order to lose weight.

There are several different procedures that can be performed however we will discuss the two most popular types of bariatric or weight loss surgery that are performed today. We will discuss what the prerequisites are to be considered for this type of surgery as well as the work up and information that needs to be imparted on the patient considering this. We will also discuss the potential complications for each type of surgery and what if any reversals that can be done. This type of surgery is designed for people who are morbidly obese, especially those who are at least 100 pounds overweight and are in reasonable good health otherwise.

The first type of surgery discussed today is the gastric bypass surgery. It is commonly called the “stomach stapling procedure” by most laymen. In this procedure, the largest portion of the stomach is stapled off and a small pouch formed that holds approximately ½ cup of food at a time. This procedure is considered safer than procedures in the past where the rest of the stomach was removed completely during surgery. The intestine is then rerouted to a lower area of the small intestine which reduces the amount of nutrients that are absorbed by the body. This procedure works both on the premise of restricted amounts of food and drink taken in and promotes reduced absorption of nutrients as well which both promote weight loss.

Some advantages of this procedure are that in clinical studies average excess weight loss with this procedure was 75-90% when checked over a period of one to five years postoperatively. Long term maintenance of ideal weight can be achieved by the patient as long as they adhere to the diet and routines that are given to them to use after surgery.

Some of the draw backs of this surgery are that the stomach can be stretched out again if the patient does not stick with the diet prescribed after surgery. This includes large amounts of liquids as well as foods. Malabsorptive procedures can cause issues such as malnutrition, anemia, and bone disease have been reported. The patient will need to take multi vitamins with iron and minerals in order to get all the nutrients that their body needs to be healthy. This procedure can weaken the immune system due to less nutrients being absorbed so patients are at higher risk of succumbing to viral and bacterial infections. Patients complain of liquid and frequent stools after surgery which in some patients does regulate itself with time. Gall stones are frequently found after this type of surgery and the gall bladder may need to be removed if this happens. This type of surgery is harder to reverse than the next surgical procedure that we will discuss.

The second type of surgery is newer and is reportedly safer to use as it can be adjusted or reversed without undue complications if needed. It is called the lap band surgery and it is the most popular type of weight loss surgery at this time due to the facts stated above. The lap band is a restrictive band that is placed around the top of the stomach and separates the stomach into two parts. This makes the person feel full after eating small portions of foods. In this type of procedure the digestive process is not bypassed but digested normally. The person just cannot eat large amounts as they did before.

The restrictive bands can be adjusted as needed to be more or less restrictive as needed for the particular patient. This surgery is easily reversed as well which does not leave patients with the long term decreased absorption of nutrients as the earlier surgeries caused in patients.

The main issues with this surgery is that leakage can occur around the band, nausea and vomiting can occur, and the band can slip or migrate to a place it should not be in. If this does take place, the band can be adjusted with a minimally invasive procedure whereas the previous surgeries could not be fixed this way.